---------------------------------------------Highlights of previous Claxton Shield Tournaments
---------------------------------------------Accommodation
--Click
here for details and photos
Game Schedule
The
competing teams, game times, venues
----------Each
team plays five games
----------The
top four teams then play in the Semi-Finals and Grand-Final
The Queensland Team - 
The
Queensland roster - including Team Coaching Staff and Officials
----------Brett
is listed as an outfielder and first-baseman
----------Will
be wearing uniform #19
-----------------------PHOTOS-(click
on images)-
----------PHOTOS-(click on images)-
----------------
----
Previews
of the Queensland Team
----------From
the Australian Baseball Federation web site ......Brett
listed as one of "The Players to Watch"
----------From
"Flintoff and Dunn's Australian Baseball" web site
The Venues
---------------------------------------------#01 - Queensland v Australian
Provincials - Saturday 20th January 2007
---------------Won by Queensland - 3 runs to 2
----------Box
Score
----------'Play-by-Play'
Report
----------Game
Report ......Brett mentioned
----------PHOTOS-(click on images)-
#02 - Queensland v Victoria
- Sunday 21st January 2007
---------------Won by Victoria - 10 runs to 1
----------Box
Score
----------'Play-by-Play'
Report
----------Game
Report ......Brett mentioned
----------PHOTOS-(click on images)-
#03 - Queensland v South
Australia - Monday 22nd January 2007
---------------Won by Queensland - 13 runs to 1
----------Box
Score
----------'Play-by-Play'
Report
----------Game
Report ......Brett mentioned
----------PHOTOS-(click on
images)-
----------PHOTOS-(click on images)-
#04 - Queensland v Western
Australia - Tuesday 23rd January 2007
---------------Won by Queensland - 6 runs to 0
----------Box
Score
----------'Play-by-Play'
Report
----------Game
Report ......Brett mentioned
----------ATTENTION
- click
here for details on Brett's wrist injury during today's game
----------PHOTOS-(click on images)-
#05 - Queensland v New South
Wales - Wednesday 24th January 2007
---------------Won by New South Wales - 9 runs to
3
----------Box Score ......Brett
did not play due to bruised hand
----------'Play-by-Play'
Report ......Brett did not play due to bruised hand
----------Game
Report
----------PHOTOS
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---------------------------------------------Queensland Team
----------Overall Statistics - batting, pitching,
catching and fielding
----------and
----------Category Leaders - batting, pitching, catching
and fielding
The Tournament
----------All Player Statistics - batting, pitching,
catching and fielding
----------and
----------Category Leaders - batting, pitching, catching
and fielding
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---------------------------------------------Claxton Shield Finals
set to rock Perth
With the 2007 Financial Wealth Claxton Shield Finals Series just
one day away, this weekend’s action at Perth’s Baseball
Park will be nothing short of spectacular
The NSW Patriots, Queensland Rams, Victoria Aces and the South
Australian Bite have now earned their place in the finals
Both NSW and QLD will be out to establish a modern dynasty after
splitting Claxton Shield honours over the last four years
The Patriots were back-to-back champions on home soil in 2004
and 2005 - while the Rams won it all in 2003, and enter the ’07
championships as defending champions following a spectacular undefeated
run last year
But the other teams certainly don’t plan on making it as
simple as a two-side showdown
The Victorians have played bridesmaid in three of the last four
Shield finals and are eager to lose the mantle as perennials runners-up
and South Australia, who have not won a National Championship
since 1980, will be desperately looking to end a 26-year Claxton
Shield drought
The Finals talent will be the best line-up ever assembled in Perth
baseball history, with 36 US Professionals and 13 Olympic Silver
Medallists still left in the playoff hunt
Major League stars Peter Moylan (Atlanta Braves) and Glenn Williams
(Minnesota Twins), will join other highly ranks US professionals
like Paul Mildren (Florida Marlins), Trent Oeltjen (Twins), Michael
Collins (Anaheim Angels) and Brett
Roneberg (Pittsburgh Pirates) in the fierce battle for National selection and Claxton
Shield glory
The Semi Finals will start this Thursday Jan 25th with games slated
for 3.00pm (Minor Semi) Queensland v South Australia and 7.00pm
(Major Semi) New South Wales v Victoria
Australia Day will showcase the Preliminary Final at 7.00pm with
the winner earning the right to contest the 2007 Financial Wealth
Claxton Shield Grand Final at the same time on Saturday, January
27th
Queensland v South Australia
- Thursday 25th January 2007
---------------Won by South Australia - 5 runs to
0
----------Box Score ......Brett
did not play due to bruised hand
----------'Play-by-Play'
Report ......Brett did not play due to bruised hand
----------Game
Report
---------------------------------------------
The 2007 Financial Wealth Claxton Shield Grand
Final was a fitting showdown between the nation’s two best
teams - with the Victorian Aces and NSW Patriots locking horns
for the third time in eight days
After NSW had won their first round clash 8-7, the Aces turned
the table in the Major-Semi final, beating the Patriots 4-3 in
a magnificent, late-inning, come from behind victory and setting
the stage for a dramatic final clash
But ultimately there could be only one winner, with Victoria
repeating the semi-final magic to again beat the Patriots 4-3
on the last play of the game
The win ensures the Aces are finally able to overcome the stigma
of perennial “Bridesmaids” that had surrounded them
after finishing second in three of the last four Claxton Shield
finals
On the mound Patriots’ right hander Vaughan Harris matched
up with the Aces’ number one hurler Greg Wiltshire, who was
starting his second consecutive Claxton Shield final for Victoria
NSW started the scoring in the top of the second inning when,
what initially looked like a brilliant defensive play from Aces
shortstop Brad Harman, dragged first-baseman Daniel Berg off the
bag, allowing Patriots veteran Brendan Kingman to cross the plate
for the game’s opening run
But the lead was short lived as the Aces squared the ledger in
the bottom of the inning when, with two men on base, Patriots’
star Glenn Williams failed to glove a tough chance at short and
handing Victoria a gift equaliser
The see-saw battle looked like it might continue when the Patriots’
terrible trio of Gavin Fingleson, Glenn Williams and Brendan Kingman
combined to manufacture a run with two outs in the very next inning,
on back-to-back singles, and a towering Kingman drive that Victorian
Andrew Russell misplayed just in front of the right field wall
With NSW clinging desperately to a 2-1 lead the pitchers turned
up the intensity, as both sides traded zeros for the next two
frames before Kingman again entered the fray
Treating the 2007 grand-final like his own personal wrecking ground,
Kingman blasted a double past the outstretched glove of Victorian
left fielder Derek Shumpert to drive in a run and extend the NSW
lead
But like the slogan of a good Spielberg film, “just when
the Patriots thought it was safe”, Victorian catcher Matthew
Kent led off the next inning by launching a missile long and deep
into the Perth night, narrowing the deficit to a single run
Not to be outdone, Aces third-baseman and co-captain, Ben Utting
- playing in his thirteenth Claxton Shield - crushed a fastball
from the Patriots’ Todd Grattan over the rightfield wall
to tie the scores at three-all going into the final stretch
But after NSW threatened in the top half of the ninth putting
runners at the corners, their failure to score was the window
that the Aces’ bandwagon had been waiting for
The rally started with a Ryan Booth single to centre, but when
Andrew Russell’s attempted sacrifice-bunt saw Booth nailed
at second, it looked for a moment like the game was destined for
extra innings
However after Ben Utting hit a laser to third baseman Mark Holland
that was too hot to handle, the game turning play came with runners
at first aand second base and one out in the final frame
Leadoff speedster Paul Weichard hit what looked like an inning-ending
double-play to Gavin Fingleson at second, but despite an efficient
turn from the NSW pivots, Weichard was able to beat out the throw
to keep Victoria’s championship hopes alive
With that play, NSW Manager Shane Barclay went to his bullpen,
bringing Andrew Cooke in to face Victorian second baseman Pal
Rutgers
Cooke immediately fell behind in the count, 2 balls and 0 strikes,
before Rugers arrived as the Victorian messiah, lacing a single
into left field that brought home Andrew Russell and sent the
Claxton Shield back to Victoria for a record setting twenty-first
time
---------------------------------------------The win completed a fantastic series for the
Aces who also made a near sweep of the tournament awards
Right-Hand pitcher Greg Wiltshire was named the Grand-Final
MVP for his remarkable effort on the mound
Paul Rutgers was awarded the “Golden Glove” as the
most outstanding defensive player of the Series
Big-hitting catcher Matthew Kent took out the “Offensive
Champion” prize as well as the prestigious “Helms Award”
which is given annually to the most valuable player at the Claxton
Shield
Not to be forgotten are “Pitching Champion” Dushan
Ruzic (SA) and
37-year-old “Rookie of the Year” David Rosser (NSW)
who won the award for being the best player in his first Shield
hit-out